This invention is an improvement on the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,944 issued 4 Jul. 2000 and its parent U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,062 issued 18 Jan. 2000.
Current commercially available forms of easy open container end, using a tear-open pour panel operated by an integral or “attached” tab, while universally acceptable in more affluent societies, particularly in the beer/beverage market, is somewhat of a luxury convenience item. These can be recycled insofar as they are constructed primarily of aluminum, but despite many efforts a fundamental but successful reclosable device or mechanism, particularly one built into the original container, has only recently been accepted in the marketplace, for a number of reasons. Prior art containers have thus been relegated to use as one time, throw-away packaging, and they are not per se capable of keeping contents secure while permitting intermittent partial dispensing of the contents after initial opening. Falling into this same category are containers with pour openings formed prior to filling, with a removable foil tab secured over the pour opening.
Thus, there is a marketplace need for containers which have a resealable feature and a controlled release (venting) feature for internal pressure or vacuum, which can be constructed of metal (aluminum, coated steel, etc.), of glass, or of a suitable plastic.
A reclosable feature, for quick on-off convenience, has become available in plastic (non-metallic) containers (ordinarily blow-molded) for carbonated beverages, in two liter, one and one-half liter, and one liter (0.59 ml) sizes. Most of those containers have a frangible, sealed and replaceable screw-on cap molded of aluminum or a suitable plastic, which is relatively small and can impede pouring.
Thus, there is still a need for a reclosable container which, as part of the original container construction or assemblage, can again be closed and sealed to retain part of the contents under sealed conditions. Another need is for a mouth construction more acceptable than easy-open containers for direct drinking of fluid contents in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,944, assigned to the assignee of this application, discloses a reclosable and resealable type of system, primarily for cans, in which a multi-lugged cap is provided along with a dome for attachment to a can body. The dome has a neck formed with complementary outwardly protruding neck lugs, circumferentially spaced apart, that cooperate with the cap lugs to draw the cap into a sealed relationship around the discharge (egress) opening of the dome. That system, however, lacks a provision for controlled venting of pressure differential upon initial opening when the contents of the container are pressurized or under vacuum. An apparatus and method for making the domes is disclosed in the assignee's PCT application US02/06046 filed 27 Feb. 2002.
Therefore a market exists for containers, and particularly for packaging contents under pressure (e.g. beer/beverage containers) or under a vacuum (e.g. for fluids or semisolid foods), which have a reclosable feature, a venting feature if desired, and which can be constructed either of metal (aluminum, coated steel, etc.), or of glass or suitable plastic or combinations thereof.